IUCN status: Near Threatened
EPBC Predator Threat Rating: High
IUCN claim: “Threats are poorly understood but include predation by and competition with feral cats and Red Foxes,”
Mulgara were found in foxes’ diet (Mahon 1999; Paltridge 2002; Cupples et al. 2011); and mulgara were last confirmed in the Nullarbor 16 years after foxes arrived (Current submission).
Mulgara were last confirmed in NSW 4 years before foxes arrived (Current submission).
There are no studies evidencing a negative association between foxes
and mulgara populations. In contradiction with the claim, the
extirpation record from NSW pre-dates the fox arrival record.
Cupples, J.B., Crowther, M.S., Story, G. and Letnic, M., 2011. Dietary overlap and prey selectivity among sympatric carnivores: could dingoes suppress foxes through competition for prey?. Journal of Mammalogy, 92(3), pp.590-600.
Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions. Conservation Biology
EPBC. (2015) Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Department of Environment, Government of Australia. (Table A1).
Fairfax, Dispersal of the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) across Australia. Biol. Invasions 21, 1259-1268 (2019).
IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023
Mahon, P.S., 1999. Predation by feral cats and red foxes and the dynamics of small mammal populations in arid Australia. PhD thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Paltridge, R., 2002. The diets of cats, foxes and dingoes in relation to prey availability in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory. Wildlife Research, 29(4), pp.389-403.